Man slips and falls into Oheo pond, dies

April 14, 2013

A 52-year-old man died after slipping and and falling about 12 feet into a pond at Oheo on Sunday morning.

Firefighters responded to the call at about 9:30 a.m.of a man who fell into a pond on the makai side of Hana Highway in the Kipahulu section of Haleakala National Park and did not surface, according to Fire Services Chief Lee Mainaga.

Using snorkel gear, firefighters found the man in about 30 feet of water, he said. The victim, who had been in the water for more than an hour, was brought to the surface not breathing, without a pulse and with head trauma.

The man, identified as a local Maui resident, was pronounced dead at the scene, Mainaga said.

The body was airlifted out of the area to a landing zone on the south side, he said.